The present invention relates to mobile support structures and, more specifically, to mobile support structures to be used as break walls and flood walls.
During floods, storms and bad weather, it may be necessary to quickly construct and erect levees, dams or the like along river banks and other water sources to protect against flood damage. Similarly, during particularly rainy seasons or heavy spring thaws it may be necessary to construct a temporary flood wall or dam until the water levels subside. Conventionally, this has been done by stacking sand bags upon one another to form a wall or barrier. However, this can be an arduous and difficult process. Thus, artificial walls have been designed that are easier to assemble and construct.
Some contemplated structures have included inflatable walls. While these bladder-type walls do form a barrier to keep water away, the size of the formed dam cannot be easily adapted to accommodate different sized areas. Thus, if the area that needs to be dammed is larger than expected, it is not easy to stack such structures upon one another, thereby limiting their utility in emergencies. Similarly, such structures are generally space intensive, which is inhibitive for use by individuals.
Other structures have been designed that comprise interconnectable blocks that can be stacked to form a wall structure. As an example, Zetzsch, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,576, shows a mobile barrier that has blocks that can be connected using S-shaped block ends that fit together. The blocks form an airtight structure that stacks vertically upward. However, the blocks are not interconnectable horizontally, or side to side, which limits the efficiency of using the blocks for areas that do not correlate directly to the size of the blocks. If the length of the wall needs to be extended, the wall will not easily form a complete sealing structure.
Lefebvre, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,705, discusses a modular flood wall that has interlocking blocks having hollow interiors that can be filled with material to give the wall added support. Thus, the wall is light-weight for transportation and assembly purposes, but will form a solid, sturdy structure when it becomes filled. Still, the modular blocks are not designed so that they can be stacked in an upwardly interlocking fashion, which limits the height of the wall. If it was necessary to stack the blocks upon one another, they would not necessarily form a tight seal, and it may be difficult to fill lower level blocks with material.
Arnett, U.S. Pat. No. 422,901, discusses the use of blocks that may be stacked upon one another to form a dam. However, the discussed blocks are not lightweight, which does not make the wall as useful as necessary in emergency situations. The system is not designed as a lightweight portable structure that may be easily erected in emergency situations.
Thus, it would be advantageous to devise a portable flood wall that provides adequate protection against flooding, while being easy to erect and transport. The wall should also evenly disperse the pressure that comes from the retained water pushing against the wall. A lightweight, yet durable wall that can be used to fix flood leaks of varying sizes is thus contemplated.